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In Conversation With: Julia Green, Greenhouse Interiors
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Greenhouse Interiors
Founded by Julia Green, Greenhouse Interiors is the destination for boutique textiles, homewares, fine art and interior styling services. The Greenhouse Interiors team contribute regular editorial features to leading interiors and lifestyle publications in Australia and overseas. They also work with commercial brands and boutique artists from concept development to art direction, set design, styling and wholesale distribution.
VISIT www.greenhouseinteriors.com.au @greenhouseinteriors
[T] Your passion lies within great design and supporting local artists.
What drove this passion so much so, that you found yourself building a brand and a business around boutique textiles, homewares, fine art and interior styling services?
[J] I became an interior stylist by accident, in truth, I didn’t even know such jobs existed. I met a photographer from Vogue (who bought a couch I was selling off eBay) and he told me I should be a stylist. But I was due to have a baby that day, so parked the idea, and revisited it 6 months later when my mat leave ran out from being a drug pedaller ! (legal one- i sold pharmaceuticals). I called him, and was on a job the next day and have not stopped running ever since. I learned quickly that sourcing was time consuming and you couldn’t always find what you wanted easily, so joining forces with artists for bespoke creations was the go. Then I decided to sell their wares and started GI. It made sense, as I had a strong selling background, and not much of a clue other than intuition about design. So I played to my strengths. The business has grown enormously and organically over the last 8 years and I love seeing so many creatives blossom, we all learn from each other, it’s a positive and supportive environment to work in and be around.
Greenhouse Interiors has now spread to over 10 countries worldwide, did you ever think your brand would become this wide scaled? What do you attribute your success to?
Not in a million years. And let’s be honest, there are smoke and mirrors at play here, I am forever a realist, and brutally honest, so it may sound like world domination, but our representation in other countries is still quite small in the grand scheme! Having said that, when we ship work to New York or Italy, we give each other a high five that people on the other side of the globe dig what we do. It’s awesome we are being discovered so far and wide.
You are a interior stylist, writer, producer, speaker, brand-ambassador, TV-host, consultant and also a mum to two boys, how do you balance all of this? What is the most crucial part?
That word (balance) is totally fictitious, make believe. I don’t think any working mum will tell you it exists. I have an incredibly supportive husband who works in the business on all marketing and back end related duties, and an awesome team of staff that support the dream. I have zero time to myself, work 7 days a week almost (except for sunday when my mum and I do a cook up, listen to music and sing and dance whilst cooking). Occasionally I lie on a couch and watch netflix. But mostly it’s go go go, as I am the ulmitate do-er and best when busy. Down time is not good for me, I over think stuff. So I don’t think about much at all, I just get shit done. The most crucial part is having Adam around to help with the kids, or it simply wouldn’t be happening.
Your brand is passionate about supporting local artists. Why is this important to you and also to the brand? How does your brand achieve this?
Yes we sure are. Our little creative community is like a family to me. I would walk hot coals for all of them and they know it. It’s important as the world has been taken over by kmart, and all of that fast fashion and now fast interiors is not made with thought, love, creativity, etc. I like to know a products provenance, and to understand how it came to be. Each piece tells a story, as does the artist that made it. We all have stories, and I think artists are often not good at telling their own, so I free up their time to paint more, make more, and share the back stories with everyone I can. We have a great social media presence and that helps get the word on the street, and also due to the magazine work I do, we have the added advantage of being considered for profiles in those pages. It’s all an honour none of us take for granted. But boy do we all work hard to achieve it all. Nothing falls off trees, it all comes with blood, sweat, tears and very little sleep.
Greenhouse Interiors now have over 600,000 external links to GI branded stories, projects, publications and various events. What has made your brand so popular and what do you think makes for good design and styling?
It’s a hard one to answer really as I don’t know why, but I would like to think we are a relatable bunch, and not too big for our boots with high brow commentary. We like to enjoy our work, have fun, and I think that is seen and heard. Good design to me is all about intuition and should be individual. I can’t stand cookie cutter stuff, it gives me a rash, and I don’t think good style is about money either. Sure it helps sometimes, but some of the most stylish homes I have visited have just been carefully thought through and considered rather than lined with cash.
What’s next for Greenhouse Interiors; where do you seen the business and the ethos in 5, 10 years?
I really hope I am on a yacht, retiring, but I’d settle for a dinghy bout now. I need some sleep. I would hope that in 5 years, this business will have a strong TV arm, with big plans on the video front. Plus be a house hold name for individual and bespoke interior products. We will though never forget our humbled beginnings. Or run away with an ego. Our business is founded on loyalty, and the love of what we do.
